


Schemes

by Reignsupreme_Inyourdreams



Series: Lawyer AU [1]
Category: CLAMP - Works, Shiritsu Horitsuba Gakuen, Tokyo Babylon, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, X -エックス- | X/1999
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Fai and Hokuto being bffs, Mentions of Sex, Multi, but no actual sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:27:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27361969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reignsupreme_Inyourdreams/pseuds/Reignsupreme_Inyourdreams
Summary: Inspired by CLAMP's tweets about Subaru and Seishirou being Rival lawyers.Yuuko constantly plots ways to help her friends with their love lives. Fai, a newly hired lawyer in her firm, witnesses this first hand while attending his first work holiday party. He decides to lend a hand for the sake of his new coworker.
Relationships: Monou Fuuma/Shirou Kamui, Sakurazuka Seishirou/Sumeragi Subaru
Series: Lawyer AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020400
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	Schemes

**Author's Note:**

> A few months ago CLAMP created a Detective/Lawyers AU on Twitter with several of their characters and specifically mentioned some tension between Seishirou and Subaru as rival lawyers. Now that the Tokyo Babylon anime has been announced I have fallen back down the rabbit hole and could not get this out of my mind. I decided to go with the Horitsuba Gakuen characterizations.
> 
> This is my first fanfic in 7+ years, please be kind and give me constructive criticism. Also, my legal knowledge comes from google and Law & Order. It is probably… not accurate.

It had only been a few months of knowing her, but in those few short months Fai had quickly learned that Yuuko Ichihara was always scheming. Occasionally those schemes seemed mean or rude at first, but in the end they always helped whoever was involved. So when Yuuko announced that her legal firm would be hosting a holiday party Fai knew something was coming, but he wasn’t quite sure.

Yuuko ran a legal firm, Ichihara and Associates, and Fai had recently accepted a position with her after deciding to leave his former position. Yuuko was in charge, of course, and working directly under her were Fai and another lawyer named Subaru Sumeragi. Subaru was a very kind, empathetic young man who was only a few years out of law school. He mainly worked by providing legal advice to his sister, Hokuto, who ran a fashion magazine, though he also volunteered as a public defender in his free time.

Aside from the two of them Yuuko employed two interns, Kamui Shirou and Fuuma Monou. Kamui was still in law school while Fuuma had very recently graduated and was preparing to take the Bar exam. The younger man worked as Subaru’s assistant, mostly (as Fai learned recently the two were actually cousins), while Fuuma worked as Fai’s assistant. There was also an administrative assistant, Kimihiro Watanuki, a loud, perpetually stressed young man who worked part-time at the front desk while going to college.

Yuuko’s schemes largely revolved around her employees; Fai knew that she also owned an antique store that sold an odd assortment of items, and she had several high school students who worked for her there in addition to the lawyers in her firm. Any of them could be her focus, as well as anyone at her legal firm. The closer the day of the party came the more intrigued he was to know who would be the focus of this scheme, but he did not think he would get a straight answer from his boss if he asked her. She always had a way of being vague about such things.

He got his answer about a week before the party while having lunch with Yuuko in her office.

Subaru burst through the door with Kamui following behind him. He was visibly angry, which was extremely out of character for him. Fai stopped talking; he was so thrown off that he couldn’t even remember what he had been speaking to Yuuko about in the first place. His lunch was quickly forgotten about as well.

“I can not believe you invited him of all people!” He shouted as he walked across the room. He came to a stop in front of Yuuko’s desk, next to where Fai was sitting. Kamui froze in the doorway, unsure if he should try to calm down his cousin. 

Yuuko laced her fingers together and leaned her elbows on her desk before resting her chin on her hands and smiling up at him, “Why, Subaru-kun, whoever could you mean? I invited several people!”

“You know who I mean,” Subaru said, blushing faintly, “Seishirou-san. You know I don’t want to see him.”

This was a name Fai did not recognize, he looked over to Yuuko to see if she would clarify, however she just continued smiling mischievously up at Subaru. “Come now, Subaru-kun. You should know by now how important it is to network with other lawyers. He could be helpful in the future.”

Subaru’s face was stern, but there was a hint of a pout to his expression. “You know plenty of other people who would be helpful to us. We don’t heed him.” 

Yuuko lifted her head and placed her hands on her desk, leaning back slightly. “I disagree. However, you are lucky this time. Seishirou-san has already let me know that he is busy and will not be able to attend.” 

Subaru visibly relaxed at this, however Fai noticed that he seemed to be almost… disappointed?

“Good. If he was coming I would not,” He said sternly, before turning around and leaving Yuuko’s office. Kamui moved aside to let him pass before following him and closing the door.

Fai looked to Yuuko with raised eyebrows. “What was that all about?” He asked, bemused. “I have never seen Subaru-kun act so impolite!”

Yuuko smirked at him and said “There is… history between the two of them. I am sure you’ll find out soon enough.”

Fai couldn’t help but smile mischievously back at her. “Why Yuuko-san, I have the feeling you are plotting something.”

“Me?!” Yuuko gasped dramatically before placing her hand on her chest, “I would never!”

Fai smiled at the heavy use of sarcasm before sipping the glass of water that had sat abandoned with his lunch. 

It certainly seemed like they would be having an interesting holiday party.

-

The night of the party approached and the office had been suitably decorated. Subaru’s sister had shown up early to assist, and Fai was pleased to find that she was a vivacious, energetic woman; very unlike her twin. She was very interested in style and made sure that the office looked as good as it could. Yuuko’s office door was closed, as well as the office that Fai and Fuuma shared, and Subaru and Kamui’s door was closed as well. Guests were to be limited to the main reception area for mingling and the large conference room for food and drinks.

Fai and Hokuto got along immediately and became fast friends. The two of them had taken on the task of decorating while everyone else helped get the food and drinks set up. Thanks to Hokuto’s keen eye the two new friends finished decorating fairly quickly, and as guests started showing up Hokuto would fill Fai in on all of the gossip she had on them since he was still fairly new to the area. The two stood drinking wine and gossiping by the wall of the reception area in order to see each person that arrived. 

A gaggle of high schoolers were the first to arrive, much to Fai’s surprise, however Hokuto quickly let him know that they were the students who worked part-time at Yuuko’s shop. Sakura, a girl with light-brown, chin-length hair usually worked the register. Syaoran, a boy with short, somewhat messy chestnut hair, helped Yuuko appraise antiques. He was apparently very interested in archaeology. Finally there was Tomoyo, a small girl with very long, black hair. She didn’t work at the shop, but was there often to keep Sakura company while she worked. He also learned that Watanuki also helped at the shop by delivering to or picking items up from customers. Hokuto filled Fai in on a previous plot of Yuuko’s that resulted in Sakura and Syaoran confessing their feelings to each other. The plan was very long and complicated; Fai tried his best to follow along but couldn’t help feeling lost by the end. Still, he had to admit, it was very cute to see the two teenagers brush their hands together shyly and blush at each other.

Ah, young love, thought Fai.

The four teenagers stayed together, and several more people showed up. They all introduced themselves and many seemed to be familiar with Hokuto, which wasn’t surprising considering how outgoing she was. Eventually Subaru left the conference room where the food was being served and was quickly accosted by Hokuto.

“Subaru! How could you have gone so long without introducing me to Fai-chan, he is wonderful!” She practically sang the words as she hugged Subaru’s arm. He blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head, saying “Sorry, Hokuto. I was busy helping Yuuko set out the food.”

“Just as long as you didn’t cook any of it,” She responded, sticking her tongue out at her twin. Subaru blushed deeper, and Fai giggled. “I take it you aren’t a very good cook, Subaru-kun?” He asked.

“No… not really,” the younger man replied.

The three of them were lost in conversation for a little while. People came, food was served, and drinks were plentiful. People mingled, separating into different groups and introducing themselves. It was a fun time, and Fai almost forgot that Yuuko had something planned.

He remembered, eventually, when Hokuto was in the middle of regaling Fai, Subaru, and a few of the teenagers with a very funny story about a celebrity who was interviewed for an article in her magazine recently. Everyone was giggling as she gestured wildly, until Subaru glanced toward the door and froze. Fai noticed this and turned to look towards the door as well.

A tall, broad man with dark hair and glasses had entered. He wore a plain, black suit and hung his coat in a closet by the door before scanning the crowd. He locked eyes with Subaru, smiled, and began walking towards them. Fai glanced back towards his colleague and noticed that he had turned his face away from the man who entered and towards Hokuto, as if he were trying to hide his face.

Hokuto had just finished her story when the new arrival joined their group, standing beside Subaru who still wouldn’t look at him. Hokuto smiled at the man, “Sei-chan! I didn’t know you were coming!” He smiled back at her, though his smile didn’t quite meet his eyes.

“Hokuto-chan,” He replied, “It’s good to see you again.” He turned toward Subaru and leaned in close to the young man’s ear, “And you as well, Subaru-kun.”

Subaru blushed deeply, but turned and glared at the man. “I wish I could say the same, Seishirou-san,” He said before taking a step away from the group. “I need a drink,” He announced, before turning his back on the group and leaving the room altogether. 

Seishirou’s eyes followed Subaru as he walked away. The younger crowd that had been listening to Hokuto’s story seemed to sense the sudden tension and dismissed themselves, leaving only Fai, Hokuto, and Seishirou.

Once Subaru was out of sight Seishirou turned to look at Fai and offered a friendly smile. “How rude of me,” He said, extending his hand towards Fai for a handshake, “I am Seishirou Sakurazuka. It is nice to meet you…”

“Fai,” the blonde responded with a smile, “Fai D. Fluorite.” He returned the handshake. “If you’ll excuse me,” Seishirou said, “I must give my regards to Yuuko-san.” He smiled as he walked towards the room Subaru had entered, as Yuuko was usually guaranteed to be in any room where alcohol was being served.

Once he had gone Fai turned to Hokuto once more. “There must be a story there,” He said, gesturing vaguely towards the room the two men had entered. Hokuto smiled widely, “Oh yes, there certainly is. Would you like to hear it, Fai-chan?” 

He smiled warmly back at her, “Of course I do, Hokuto-chan.” Kamui rushed past them, and Fai could sense that he was going to check on Subaru. Hokuto managed to grab him before he got too far. “Kamui-chan,” She said with a smile, “Would you please grab some champagne for Fai-chan and I?” She batted her eyelashes a few times for good measure. 

Kamui seemed uncertain, but Hokuto calmed him by saying “Subaru is a grown-up, he can handle himself while you grab drinks.” Kamui still looked uncertain, but he nodded and headed to the conference room. “He’s a good kid,” Hokuto said with a fond smile, “But he can be a little… over-protective of Subaru. It’s a little funny, considering he’s a few years younger. But he really looks up to him. Once we have drinks I can tell you Subaru’s story.”

Fai smiled as he watched various party-goers entering and exiting the conference room. Some names he remembered, others not so much. Eventually Subaru exited and made his way over to where Watanuki was relaxing with the students from Yuuko’s shop. He seemed tense, but was engaging in friendly chit-chat with them.

“Subaru-kun is a very kind person,” Fai paused for a second before continuing, “I have only known him for a little while but he seems like a genuinely good person. I can see why one would want to protect him.” Hokuto turned her attention back to Fai. “He is. He is always worrying about other people. So much so that he doesn’t worry about himself enough. Did you know I still pick out most of his clothes for him? I made the outfit he’s wearing tonight!” She said, with a giant smile.

“That's why he looks more put-together than usual,” Fai noted. Subaru was wearing a tailored red satin blazer with a white shirt, black tie, and fitted black slacks. Fai took a moment to take in Hokuto’s outfit as well. She wore a black fit and flare dress with a tailored red blazer that matched Subaru’s. Her outfit was topped off with a large reg bow in her short, dark hair. “Hokuto-chan,” He continued, “Did you make your outfit to match?”

She threw her arms out and gave a dramatic twirl. “Fai-chan! I’m so glad you noticed! It’s a cherished pastime of mine,” She explained. Fai couldn’t help but chuckle at the display. Kamui finally emerged holding two glasses of champagne and brought them over. “Oh Kamui-chan, you are such a dear!” She said, taking the glasses and passing one to Fai. He and Hokuto thanked the young man, and Kamui excused himself. He turned and went to where Subaru was chatting with others.

“Now, Hokuto-chan,” Fai said, smiling as he sipped his drink, “I believe you were going to tell me a story.”

“Of course I am, Fai-chan,” She said, returning his smile.

It turned out that Subaru, in his last semester of law school, had been interning at the firm Seishirou had been working at. Seishirou took on the role of a mentor, and quite often flirted with the young man, though Subaru never took it seriously. That didn’t mean that Subaru wasn’t embarrassed by it occasionally, and Hokuto described several times where she had visited Subaru for lunch and witnessed Seishirou profess his love for the younger man, causing Subaru to blush for the rest of the day.

Eventually Subaru graduated, passed the Bar exam, and got a job as a public defender. Before his first real trial Seishirou offered to take him out to dinner to celebrate, and after dinner the two had gone back to the apartment that Subaru and Hokuto shared. The day the trial began came and Subaru found that he was working against Seishirou, who ended up winning the trial. Subaru realized very quickly that Seishirou had found Subaru’s notes for the trial while visiting his apartment and, as such, managed to perfectly counter all of Subaru’s hard work, showing no mercy.

Subaru felt betrayed, and for a good reason. His former mentor and friend had taken advantage of his inexperience and crushed him. The two had rarely spoken in the year since, and never outside of a professional setting.

“You still seemed to be on good terms with him though, Hokuto-chan,” Fai said as the young woman finished her story. “I am, mostly,” she said, “I always thought that the two of them would work well together. That they would balance each other out. Perhaps Subaru would influence Sei-chan to be more empathetic, and that Sei-chan would influence Subaru to think of himself a little more. If I’m honest, I still think that.”

“Maybe one day we’ll find out,” Fai said, taking another sip of his drink.

“Someday soon, I hope!” Houkto responded. 

Hokuto glanced around to see if anyone was near them, seeming satisfied with everyone’s distance. “You know,” She said softly so only Fai could hear, “Subaru never elaborated on what happened when they went back to the apartment. I wasn’t home so I can’t say for sure, but… something must have happened. It was late when I got home, and I found Sei-chan shirtless on the balcony smoking a cigarette.” She covered her mouth and giggled, and Fai smiled, though not as enthusiastically as he had earlier in the evening. “That would explain why Subaru-kun is so upset. To be taken advantage of like that by a lover… No one should have to go through that,” He said.

Almost as if he was summoned Subaru left the group of teens and returned to where Fai and Hokuto were standing. “You two seem to be getting along well,” Subaru said with a smile, though Fai could see he still felt uneasy. He kept his arms up, as if he was trying to keep others away from him. “You have a very lovely, charismatic sister, Subaru-kun! She certainly knows how to keep a conversation going,” Fai responded.

“She has always had a knack for that,” Another voice chimed in.

Seishirou walked up beside Subaru, holding two glasses of champagne. As if by magic Kamui appeared on Subaru’s other side immediately after. Seishirou smiled down at Subaru and held out a glass to him. “Champagne, Subaru-kun?” He asked. Subaru hesitated, but eventually took it from the older man. “Thank you, Seishirou-san,” he said, cheeks tinting pink. 

It was tense at first, but the 5 of them managed to have a pleasant conversation. Fuuma finally arrived, he just finished playing a game of basketball before deciding to stop by the party for a bit. His presence helped ease the tension, as he was able to get Kamui to engage in conversation instead of just standing around glaring at Seishirou. Seishirou, however, seemed unaffected by the glares and seemed to attempt to touch Subaru each time a glare started. He would caress the younger man’s arm, or pat his head. A few times Seishirou even rested his hand on Subaru’s lower back before the smaller man would shrug him off.

Hokuto had been explaining her process for making her and Subaru’s outfits for the evening when things really took a turn. She was describing the process of tailoring Subaru’s blazer when she spoke the line “I mean, do you know how tight it can be?”

Seishirou smirked devilishly before replying “Oh, trust me, I am… intimately familiar with how tight Subaru can be.”

The world seemed to stop for several minutes as everyone processed what he said, but in reality everything happened in a matter of seconds. Fuuma chuckled and turned his head away, and Hokuto smiled in excited shock, as her theory about what happened that night at her and Subaru’s apartment was confirmed. Fai’s eyebrows rose so high they were practically in his hair, and he sipped his champagne to hide his smile. 

Subaru had, unfortunately, been in the middle of sipping his own champagne when Seishirou spoke and immediately began to cough on his drink. Kamui looked about ready to kill Seishirou but instead reached out in an attempt to comfort Subaru. He only succeeded in knocking the champagne out of the other man’s hand, spilling it all over himself. 

Seishirou just smiled.

Subaru, mortified over what Seishirou had just said and the fact that he had spilled his drink on Kamui, was blushing bright red all over his face. He excused himself between coughs and began to hurry away. Kamui took a step to follow him before Fuuma blocked him. 

“Hold on now,” Fuuma said, catching Kamui’s arm, “You’re covered in champagne. Come with me, I have a spare jacket you can borrow.” He led Kamui away from everyone. 

Seishirou, nodding to Fai and Hokuto, said “Please excuse me while I check on Subaru-kun.” He turned to follow Subaru who was seemingly headed to the exit, still coughing. Seishirou caught him before the younger man could make it there, though, and steered him into Subaru’s office instead, where he closed the door behind them.

Once they were alone Hokuto grabbed Fai’s arm in excitement. “Fai-chan, can you believe that just happened?! We have to go tell Yuuko-san!” She said, pulling him along as they made their way into the conference room. The teenagers had thankfully volunteered to clean the spilled champagne, Fai thanked them and followed his new friend. He was beginning to realize now that maybe Yuuko had some help with this particular scheme.

Yuuko was seated at the head of the conference table with several empty bottles of sake around her. Despite the flush on her face she barely seemed intoxicated at all, and very nearly shoved Watanuki away when she noticed Hokuto and Fai approaching. The poor boy had been trying- and failing- to get Yuuko to stop drinking sake and drink water instead. 

“Hokuto-chan! Fai-san! Do you have news?!” She whispered loudly. Watanuki recovered from her shove and stood, irritated, behind her but left room for Fai and Hokuto to leave their, now empty, glasses on the table and crouch by her. There were others in the room, but once Watanuki had begun ranting about the sake they had all amused themselves with other conversations, so no one was paying them any mind.

Hokuto gave Yuuko as brief a summary as she could, but Yuuko’s response was unexpected. “Fuuma-kun escorted Kamui-kun away, you say? I had asked him to distract Kamui-kun should the need arise, but I didn’t think it would turn out like that. I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time,” She said, with a thoughtful smile. 

She’ll never be satisfied, will she? Fai thought to himself. 

Watanuki sighed in exasperation. There was no doubt that he was familiar with Yuuko’s schemes at this point.

“In any case, it has been a little while now. Perhaps the two of you should check on sweet Subaru-kun to make sure he doesn’t need anything,” Yuuko said, with a lecherous grin on her face. Hokuto grinned and responded, “Oh Yuuko-san, you read my mind! It’s only natural for a big sister to worry about her dear, sweet younger brother!”

After a shared mischievous look between the three scheming friends Fai and Hokuto made their way to Subaru’s office. Hokuto knocked but got no response. She tried the handle but found that it wouldn’t budge. “No way, they locked the door!” She said, pressing her ear against the wood.

“I’m afraid that won’t work Hokuto-chan,” Fai informed her, “Our doors are very solid. Lawyers have to keep certain things confidential, after all. But,” He raised his pointer finger and winked, “I do have something that will help us.”

Hokuto’s face lit up like the sun, “Tell me, what is it?!” Fai lead her over to his office and explained that they all had spare keys to each others’ offices in case anyone lost theirs, and he kept Subaru’s in his desk. 

As he pushed open the door to his office he could sense that something was off. The lights were on, and people were in here. It took a second for him to realize that it was Fuuma and Kamui, the smaller man was leaning against the wall and looked every bit like a deer in headlights. Fuuma was standing a little further away, but also looked like he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Both young men were blushing.

“Hello boys,” Fai greeted as he entered the room. Hokuto followed. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, Fai-sensei… I uh… I keep a spare jacket at my desk. I was just… grabbing it for Kamui. To cover the champagne,” Fuuma responded, as he walked over to his desk chair. Sure enough there was a black suit jacket draped across it. Fuuma grabbed it and awkwardly passed it to Kamui, who quickly shrugged it on. The jacket was clearly bought by the basketball player, as it was certainly too big for Kamui’s small frame, but Kamui seemed glad to have it. 

“Well, now that you’ve done that,” Hokuto said with a grin, “You boys have a party to get back to. You don’t want to waste the night alone in here.” With that the two young men headed back into the main party area and Fai headed straight to his desk.

“I definitely need to let Yuuko-san know about that,” Hokuto said with a dreamy sigh. “This is the first person Kamui-kun has shown an interest in since grade school!”

“Ah ha!” Fai exclaimed triumphantly as he held up a keyring. “The red one is for Subaru-kun’s office.”

“Well what are we waiting for? I need to know that my sweet brother is alright!” Hokuto said with an impish grin.

The two made their way over to Subaru’s office and were pleased when the door unlocked with a satisfying click. Slowly, quietly, Fai pushed open the door, and he and Hokuto fit their faces into the small opening.

Subaru was seated on his desk with his back to the door. His blazer and tie are on the floor, and his shirt unbuttoned. Seishirou stood in front of him with his glasses off, facing the door yet too preoccupied to notice it opening, as the two were locked in a fierce kiss. One of Subaru’s hands was fisted in Seishirou’s hair while his other gripped the older man’s black suit jacket tightly. The older man’s hands were gripping Subaru’s hips hard as he kept the smaller man pinned against the desk with his own body.

Seishirou broke their kiss to place open-mouthed kisses and bites down Subaru’s neck before he seemed to notice the visitors. He paused his ministrations and smirked at the two before leaning down to whisper in Subaru’s ear. The young man froze before turning his head to glance at the door. 

As soon as he saw his coworker and his sister he pulled his shirt closed as best as he could. “Fai-san! Hokuto! What are you doing here?!” He asked, turning redder than his suit jacket on the floor.

“We were worried about you and the door was locked!” Hokuto said with a sneaky smile. “We had to make sure you were alright, so Fai-chan grabbed his key for an emergency welfare check!”

“I’m so glad to see that the two of you seemed to have worked out your differences,” Fai said with an amused smile, “But perhaps it would be more wise for the two of you to… continue to work them out somewhere a little more private?”

“Why don’t we head back to your apartment, Subaru-kun?” Seishiro asked in a low voice as he raised one of Subaru’s hands to his lips and kissed it.

“That’s a great idea!” Hokuto said, entering the room to hand Subaru his discarded clothes. “I’ll make sure to stay with a friend tonight so you two have plenty of time to work things out.” 

Hokuto and Fai left the room and closed the door behind them before Subaru could respond. They entered the main party area, and each got another drink. They watched as Subaru and Seishirou tried to subtly leave Subaru’s office. It mostly worked, they only caught the attention of a few party goers, but Subaru looked thoroughly debauched with his shirt and hair rumpled and a few suspicious marks appearing on his neck. Seishirou, however, looked perfectly normal. They stopped at the coat closet so that the older man could grab his coat, and both ducked out of the front door without saying goodbye.

Hokuto and Fai made their way to where Yuuko was; still seated at the head of the table. Watanuki had given up on trying to reason with her and was now sitting with the group of high schoolers from Yuuko’s shop. The two trouble makers sat on either side of the woman and gave her a full report on what they saw between both Kamui and Fuuma, and Seishirou and Subaru. 

“A toast,” Yuuko said, pouring more drinks for each of them, “to the successful conclusion of a plan!” The three cohorts cheered and drank their alcohol. Yuuko set her empty glass down on the table before mischievously looking around the room. “So…” She began.

“Who's next?”

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly love the idea of Fai and Hokuto being gossipy BFFs. Also, if you enjoy this and want more let me know, maybe I'll do more parts focusing on different characters.


End file.
